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A lifeline has just been yanked out from underneath many Americans and their families.

According to a new report from Families USA, beginning December 1st, more and more people will face a crushing financial burden-and are likely to join the ranks of the uninsured-as subsidies for COBRA coverage begin to expire.

As you know, the Senate passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on Christmas Eve. While this is a huge gift for those who have worked tirelessly for health reform, there was a bonus stocking stuffer this past December, as well.

The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) has taken a backseat to broader national health care reform over the past few months. However, as the health care debate proceeds in Washington, several states are taking advantage of the additional funding and new options available under CHIPRA to make significant improvements to their CHIP programs.

A new year has begun-but our economy is still acting like it's 2009. With the latest unemployment rate unchanged at 10%, all Americans are still feeling the effects of the lack of job growth. President Obama has made this a top priority, and it is clear that many are thirsty for new economic opportunities.

The health reform debate is rounding the corner and barreling towards the finish line-signing the bill into law. However, before we reach this momentous end, there are a few more procedural hurdles to overcome. The most daunting of them will be merging the House and Senate bills into a single piece of legislation that will be able to receive a majority vote in both chambers and to be signed into law by President Obama.

Although the economy is slowly recovering, American businesses are still under financial stress. The tight times are causing many firms to let go of workers to cut operating costs-and the nation's unemployment remains at 10%.

Health care costs are the main driver of financial stress for business, but thankfully, health reform can help ease these burdens.

Health reform has never been easy. That lesson has come up throughout this year's legislative process - as if decades of failed reforms had not yet made that clear.

Health reform, however, is an imperative for our nation's families. Without reform, health costs will continue to grow much faster than wages. Without reform, many millions of hard-working people and their families will join the ranks of the uninsured and underinsured.

MLR: Those three letters seem like an acronym for an obscure tropical disease, but we promise this won't hurt a bit. MLR stands for Medial Loss Ratio. The technical term may be a snooze-inducer, but stick with us for a moment longer.

Imagine you went to a change machine, put a dollar in, and only got back 75 cents. Well, a medical loss ratio can be similar.